Up in the smoke
by MeganRouth
Summary: Luffy, the one and only child of the Pirate King feels like it isn't right for him to exist. He asks a lot of questions, but the answer means always the same. Gol D. Ace, having a black bandana as a reminder, finds himself in the middle of the forest with mountain bandits and a little, mysterious boy without a surname. He wants to help him find what's been left behind.
1. 1: Force

"If the King of Pirates would have had a child, should it live?"

* * *

Edge Town, Kingdom of Goa, Dawn Island. Someone would say that in Goa Kingdom is a big, beautiful town without even one rubbish. Some would agree, someone would not. The opinions differ, depending on what someone's heard, seen or lived through. East Blue is considered the weakest of all seas and with it comes, naturally, lower crime rate, less forces and fights, less damage, less ruins. Seems logical, right? No, not at all.

In fact, the truth isn't as bright as everyone thinks. Maybe all streets of the capital are clean, maybe all trash cans are empty, but the biggest town on Dawn Island is just full of trashes. Those scumbags are walking. Those trashes are _living_. Those _trashes_ are the ones who call themselves gods and think of themselves oh so highly, disrespecting people's free will and the idea of equality. They're empowered by money and when it runs out – they're out as well.

 _Nobles_. Snobbish, greedy, lickerish, wroth _nobles_. But they aren't the only egotistical people. (Many are selfish, but sometimes is better to be like that than to sacrifice everything and live a purposeless life, meaningless and devoid of everything someone cared for.)

In the Edge Town are located many gangs, thugs, even wannabe _pirates_ who are propelling the black market, making prohibited transactions, trading the gold and other valuable minerals, and even keeping slaves in the underground tunnels and halls. Many don't know about their activity, many don't consider this option, because this town is the cleanest town in the entire East Blue! Who would have thought that there is something like that?

Exactly. Just few realize this: hiding in a plain sight sometimes proves to be the easiest option.

All the garbage is kept outside the town, in the Gray Terminal, which could effortlessly form a small island. Poorer ones live here with families, in small mud huts, built of found wood, metal and nails, sometimes even with moist, hardened dirt. In order to survive, people adapted to this environment, to rubbish mountains. Treachery and thievery are on the agenda. Inhabitants of this place have no choice, anyways. Either this, living in the forest (where are monstrously big animals, man-eating plants and mountain bandits) or death. Having an own place within the town's walls is worth a fortune ( _more than their lives_ ) and everyone from Gray Terminal is aware of that fact.

They have chosen long ago, what they are going to do, trying to not get killed – living from one hour to another, doing their best to stay alive.

Just like everyone.

* * *

Small, black-haired boy makes his way down the not-so-oddly clean street of the Edge Town. His face is expressionless and plain, yet decorated by two scars; one of them, the black one with stitches, rests right under his left eye and the second being white line as it is, starts from the space between his collarbones, passing along the neck, and ending above his right eyebrow, slightly curling up.

It's ragged and nasty.

Judging by his height, some strangers would say that he is five, at most six years old. An old straw hat with red ribbon tied around it is hanging off of his neck. The child's clothes, simple red T-shirt and black shorts, are torn up and covered in dirt.

Those who didn't see him would say that it's impossible for a five-year-old boy to be so calm, cold and all alone in this dangerous district, with those scars of his and those somewhat empty black eyes. Only they showed that he felt something—something. But this boy, they concluded, judging from the presence alone, must have come from the woods or the Gray Terminal. How otherwise they would explain those two, different-colored marks on his small and thin, underdeveloped body?

His steps were small and slow, but he carried himself with caution and flow. He was flowing, like the river nearby. Like the blowing, hopeless wind, lit campfire, moving grass, animals out there in the forest.

Like nature.

He was mysterious.

Unnatural. If unnatural, then bad. This boy, in their eyes, was nothing but a wild, foolish person, who kept coming every now and then, led by that dangerous force, instinct. So, inhabitants of the Edge Town, seeing no other way, call the guards from the First Gate to keep an eye for this dirty child. Everyone pushed away the thought of him being something more than just a nuisance for the townspeople; after all, he is spoiling the clean look of the metropolis.

Not alerted by the heads sticking out of the windows, curious glances and cold glares, boy is still walking down the street, until he spots a group of not-so-friendly looking thugs. They are dressed in a similar way, in gray or dark brown clothes and everyone smells like trash they are. Boy stops for a while, as if contemplating something and then, making a decision, walks next to them. Conversation of five men is interrupted by the childish, quiet voice, not belonging to any of the gang's pals. They are turning around in order to see the intruder, but spot only a mere child, toddler. His black eyes are deep; in fact, one of them can't help but stare right into the child's pupils. All five consider for some time the question that shortly came out of the youngling's mouth, only to laugh into his face, their expressions changing and twisting.

"Are you serious? A demon like that freakin' Pirate King couldn't have loved!"

"Gahahahah, you are funny, brat! I would be impossible for that scum's child to lead a normal live. It father is a real devil, so that monster blood would be in genes! It wouldn't exist!"

"Good thing that pirate trash is dead for almost eight years. People like him shouldn't live with us, 'cause he was the worst of the lowest scums."

And Luffy, because that's his name, isn't listening anymore. Shadow of his straw hat hides his wide, angry eyes, as he is turning around and walking away again. He has asked already hundred people and almost everyone said the same thing: "It shouldn't be born."

He wants an answer.

He wants something more than laughs, joyous tears, but it clearly comes to him that he won't have something more. Because once feared, respected and the strongest man in the world, known as Monkey D. Dragon, the King of Pirates, now is only a joke, past long sealed away in the darkest corners of everyone's minds, someone to laugh about.

A being, once a living legend turned to sound like a clown, scum, exactly like Montblanc Noland, man from North Blue fairytales. It progressed so quickly. No one noticed.

* * *

Luffy is a seven-year-old (even if he doesn't look like boys his age, can you understand why?) orphan without a surname. His dad has been long dead before he was born. His mother passed away during giving birth to him and his grandfather, "The Insane" Garp, visits him once every two years, which gives now two visits, not counting the time when his grandpa dumped him to the _mountain bandits_ , from all things that were available, to take care of him. That shitty geezer thought he was doing a good thing and Luffy absolutely understands, but it's hard to live with a band of misfits, for God's sake, _bandits_ , who are acting like they all were just freed from a zoo.

They had no preservation and manners at all. Their meals resembled hunts and their place was covered in holes.

But Luffy understands that it's for his safety and contemplates what he was told; who would have thought that one and only son of the Pirate King would live on the top of the highest mountain in the Goa Kingdom, so close to his father's hometown? Raised supposedly with the blackmailed bandits who had no room to refuse?

Again, no one would have thought.

Even so, Luffy can't help but ask.

Ask. Ask.

Question after question.

Is his existence a good thing? Should he have been born? What the world would say about his life? Could he exist in peace?

Maybe World Government is already doing something in his direction? Maybe they are looking for him and planning his execution? Maybe… maybe shitty gramps decided to tell them?

 _No_ , Luffy shakes his head and changes the way his thought are going. _That stupid old man wouldn't betray me, would he?_

Even if his grandfather is the worst family he has, he loves his gramps, although he wouldn't admit it and will never show it, hidden under the cold mask. Family is something irreplaceable and Luffy knows it very well. Garp don't come often (and when he comes he is really irritating) but they are still blood related. And Luffy isn't making a fuss about it.

But he can't help but ask. Is it a good thing that he was born?

* * *

"Put me down, gramps!" Ah, what a nice day. Sounds of birds' chirping is heard in the air, as Ace is wrenching in walking Garp's grip, till the elder man loses his patience, finally seeing bandit's small cottage, and lets Ace fall on the green, softly swaying grass of Goa. Vice-admiral turns to his adoptive grandson and laughs audibly, slowly making his way to the wooden doors. Ten-year-old boy groans loudly and pouts, trying to be mad at that stupid grandpa of his.

One minute he is laughing with Makino, next he is lifted from his chair and already a kilometer away from his small home. Gramps dragged him to some kind of house in the middle of the nowhere! How he is going to go back to the Fushia Village if the forest is full of dangerous animals and monsters?

It will take him ages! What about the village? What about Makino and Woop Slap? They will thought that he is kidnapped (because he kind of is kidnapped, but who cares), gone! Not coming back!

It was not funny at all.

Mr. Big-Moustache left recently as well, seeding in Ace's heart a nostalgic feeling whenever he decided to look at the blue sea or bandana he was given. He already misses everyone, though he knew it was coming. Pirates can be a risky force, always on the lookout for adventures and new experiences.

It was _bound_ to happen.

Not really seeing the other options, Ace follows Garp, meanwhile looking around. The trees are big, full of light green leaves, and the dew is still on the grass, shining with the help of the sun which is trying to break through the trees' crown.

It's a nice clearing, Ace analyses. Maybe that small, wooden house is close to collapsing and that laundry hanging in the background isn't encouraging, because it's all dirty and crumpled, but it's nice here. Nice enough for someone to live in rather calm place, surrounded by the sound of nature and large monste-, ehm, he means _animals_. Yes, animals.

Still, Ace thinks it's a good spot until he sees a big, ugly woman opening the door. Foreign person starts a conversation with Garp, which contains a lot of swearing, shouting and fear, he supposes. However, boy's attention span is shorter than his hair, so next thing his gaze does is trying to analyze everything, from one thing to the next thing. First, he is chasing off a little, but beautiful, red butterfly; next, he finds himself directly in the front of that weird woman. Or is it a man with long, ginger hair? Ace honestly doesn't know.

"Hiya, old hag!" he finally decides to greet the person, who is still standing in the door's frame. Apparently, it wasn't the best thing to say, and it's confirmed by the redness on Dadan's face. "Why are you red? Have you a fever, are you sick or somethin'?"

The mountain bandits' leader is about to retort and teach that rude boy a lesson, but Garp stops her with a meaningful look.

Then, he hits Ace on the head.

Hard.

Black-haired boy yelps, desperately clutching his hands to a new bruise between his hair. Marine Hero only grins widely and bents down to the sitting grandson's height.

"Listen, Ace! That damn pirates infected your mind, so you will be living here now, with Dadan and the others." Ignoring the younger's stare, Garp straights himself and coughs a little to gain bandit's attention. His chest is puffed. "Dadan, take care of him. And anyway, where is Luffy? Isn't he supposed to be around?" he asks, but woman only shivers as if remembering something and then shrugs her shoulders.

"That devilish, lil' monster can be anywhere, you know. It's hard to track him down, 'cause it's like lookin' for a monkey in the middle of the jungle!" …Garp sweat-drops slightly, when realization hits the speaker. "Oh, right. Monkey. Jungle. Never mind that."

Ace stares at Garp, expecting some kind of explanation (like, who that Luffy-boy is, why he thinks that pirates infected his mind and why, the heck, that Old Hag would cooperate with the old geezer), but nothing comes out of gramps' mouth. So, Ace is sitting here and waiting, while two adults are conversing.

Small, gray stone hits him, coming out of nothing, right into his bruise on the head. Ace yelps again, rubs the top of his head and turns around to see the attacker, but he sees no one. He couldn't pinpoint the exact side from which came that small, little thing. Grumbling under his breath, Ace stands up and gazes in the shadows, from where, _he can swear_ , came that rock. When he hears someone's movement in the nearby bush, he tenses up and gets in his defensive pose, ready to attack just in case.

The rumbling is more and more louder, closer, and…

…and from the bush jumps out a little, ginger squirrel, which quickly leaves the clearing after grabbing a nut. Ace relaxes himself and exhales the air. He thought that was one of those monstrously big animals or his attacker, but that was only a little, stupid, but maybe cool squirrel. He drops his stance and again infiltrates the shadowed trees and bushes, only to be hit again.

This time, however, he spots his assaulter and what he sees isn't what he had expected to see behind the leaves.

A small boy with exactly the same hair color as him sits on the tree branch, having one leg crossed over another; he stares at older boy without betraying any emotions. His eyes are piercing him, and Ace feels really uncomfortable under that intimidating glare. The child holds a silver pipe, randomly spinning it, making invisible circles and eights.

It's hard for Ace to look away from that boy; he is scary, full of silent anger and emptiness. Ace can feel it.

Soon enough Garp turns around again and glances at Ace. He is confused, but his gaze leaps off of his adoptive grandson to the shadowy figure before his clueless expression turns into a wide teeth-showing grin.

"Luffy! My grandson, how have you been? C'mon down, let's talk for a moment!" he shouts to the young boy, who only stares at him, blinks once and jumps off the branch. Ace thinks that he is going to break his legs, but so-called Luffy lands perfectly in kneeling position and then slowly straighten himself up. Only now Ace notices a straw hat, tiger's body behind the boy and precisely two scars on younger boy's body; he shivers, thinking about what could have happened to him. Especially when that white line is looking so nasty, yet so similar to gramps' black scar with stitches.

The boy looks like he is _flowing, carrying energy of nature inside of him, being the vessel of the true and beautiful world, the voice of the forest, the manifestation of such a scary foe._

Luffy starts walking towards the house, dragging along a body of a tiger. Big, striped tiger, Ace realizes. He passes by Garp, not even sparing his relative a glance. The Vice-admiral's face takes a grimly expression, like he is regretting something. Ace is surprised; old man never wears similar expression. Even though he sees him only once in a while, when he checks up on his home island.

"Luffy, oh c'mon…"

"Shut up, shitty geezer. I don't wanna talk to you," short boy answers, not slowing his pace. Luffy unceremoniously dumps dead animal's body next to Dadan's feet and stares at her with something, what Ace would normally call a "poker face". Dadan shakes her head slightly, maybe amused, maybe disappointed, but says nothing. Luffy's shoulders drop, like the invisible energy was leaving his body, and he walks into the house, closing the door.

Loudly.

"'M sorry, Garp. Something's changed in him and…" Dadan bits her lip, afraid of Garp's reaction. Is she doing a right thing telling him this? Or maybe should she leave it for herself? When she decides, the Marine Hero is visible sad, almost in tears. So, she decides to leave it anyway – Garp is too devastated right now to face something like that.

Ace eyes them, suspicious rising, but also says nothing. Seeing his gramps in this state isn't the best view, he can tell that much. After some time, Ace waves to Garp (in the form of a goodbye), walking into the house. He swears to himself to gain more information about that boy and help his "grandfather" and Luffy. What the heck is wrong with him and that attitude of his? Ace will find out, no matter what.

"You know, when you said that it's bad, I didn't think that it was _that_ bad," Garp announces after Ace's sudden departure. He looked mildly interested and, lemme tell you – it's hard to catch Ace's interest these days. Something good may come out after all of this, maybe?

Dadan shifts uncomfortably, inhaling and exhaling the air. Stupid brat, putting her in the stress-prone situation like this. "Could you tell me what happened?"  
"He didn't think that it's okay for him to live."  
Dadan's words sinks deeply into marine's heart and mind. Of course, her words are only a mere declaration of war going through Luffy's head and mind, but she can't bring herself to tell him more, tell about his grandson's suffering, tell about the name Luffy made for himself, tell about _everything wrong_.

Garp is taken aback. His little, pesky grandson thinks that he shouldn't exist? This is something that confuses Garp and he does know why. World is unfair for Luffy, who even doesn't have a surname, due to the Garp's intervention. Had it be announced, Luffy wouldn't have had even the _smallest chance_ to live normally. After all, Luffy _is_ son of the Pirate King. The whole world would hate him, because of this.

It hits Garp like a lighting strike. His eyes widen dramatically.

Demon's spawn. That's what Luffy sees in himself.


	2. 2: Chase

Luffy grows really irritated, as Ace observes him carefully with a determinated look on face, still following after him very closely. Older boy is just that resolved to help him that he is making his way through the thick bushes, branches, weird plants and wild grass, scurrying after younger boy and getting hurt in process. But Luffy isn't helping him any bit; actually, he has already done the opposite and he isn't stopping by any chance.

He cut that liana with a big, gross arachnid and a fat worm (they were trying to eat themselves, by the way) which fell on the Ace's head.

He forcefully kicked that big tree, which nearly squished Ace. Nearly, because he dodged just in time; being older and all. Still, that freaked him out. That Luffy-monster just _kicked_ a tree which could have _collapsed_ onto him.

Destroyed tree with _one, freakin' kick_ , from a seven years old boy, no more, no less. It's scary, in Ace's opinion.

While Luffy is busy making his life harder, Ace wonders where he is going. After all, even if Ace has been living on this island since he could remember, he mostly was staying in the Foosha Village; he didn't know that there is much more bigger, heavily-guarded and crowded city, not to mention nearby villages, Gray Terminal and people living in that district. So, all ten-year-old boy knows is that he is in the middle of the enormous jungle, almost on the top of the mountain, surrounded by the wild animals, following a weird, yet intriguing straw hatted boy, who apparently knows his gramps.

Oh, and he is probably lost.

And probably Luffy is the real family of Garp, the real grandson connected to him by blood. But, hey, that would mean shitty grandpa has a son.

A son! Ace would never have guessed.

* * *

 _Heck_ , thinks Ace, dodging another trap, which Luffy set up for him. _How strong is he?!_

Ace tries to follow the younger boy for the next two hours, but soon in the scarred kid's head pops the next idea "How to stop that weirdo from following me". Luffy nods lightly to himself and continues to run through the green forest.

Eventually, Luffy stops at the end of the old, damaged by nature, brown bridge made of lines, ropes and rotten, wooden planks. Ace doesn't notice that until he takes a step in the middle of that bridge. Older boy gulps nervously when Luffy raises his pipe and strikes the log, on which were tied the ropes supporting the construction. With the help of a metal weapon and sheer, brutal strength, log plucks from the "solid" ground, slides to the edge and hangs off dangerously. Bridge wobbles multiple times, only to collapse, when second log is destroyed by the same person. Very not-manly scream escapes from Ace's mouth, when he tries not to fall. He quickly grabs the ropes and when construction splits up into two pieces, Ace hits the cliff.

His vision gets blurred and his head is spinning, but he manages to calm himself down. Once he is on the solid ground again, he looks up and searches for the younger boy's silhouette, but obviously, Luffy is long gone.

 _Sneaky bastard._

* * *

When Luffy walks into the bandits' house, it's pretty late. The night has fallen down, the stars began to gather and the moon lights the clearing with a pale light, stolen from the sun. Luffy spines his pipe, extremely bored, but also kind of worn off.

Running away from Ace can be exhausting, not to mention problematic, but Luffy can handle it. He was doing this already for two and half years and he has no intention of stopping. Hunting and beating living in Gray Terminal thugs is the only thing that he can do well, actually. Also, he does know how to wash the plates, do the laundry and all that stuff, but he rarely do it, only from pure pity because the whole house is just a big, stinky mess.

Nevertheless, he doesn't like it, and won't like it.

But, he must here agree, he loves battling. When he is doing this, something fuels him, maybe adrenaline, maybe other hormones, but there's something, that _encourages_ him to battle, to fight, to beat everyone around up. Hunting for the wild animals also is in the folder "Battling". Every day he comes eye to eye with _monsters_. He practices on them; to gain experience, to hunt something for meal, to learn how to defend himself.

 _It's great_ , he states. _Fighting is in my veins. My grandfather fights, my mother fought, my… father fought. And now, I am fighting._

The door bangs loudly against the wall, but Luffy doesn't seem to care. We walks inside, still playing with his metal weapon, found in the Gray Terminal. A lone child steps to the kitchen and snorts, making a grim expression. It smells _horribly_. Again, there's a dish washer, full of dirty plates, empty shelfs (apparently destroyed) a fridge, which doors are barely hanging on the frames, and the visible thick layer of dust in the corner.

Luffy sighs, cursing his kind heart, then grabs a broomstick and starts to clean.

Maybe outside Luffy is acting like a heartless, cold brat, but inside, he is only a child, full of pity, sorrow and grief. He really, really hates the mountain bandits, but they kinda raised him; in repay, he is doing some home-related stuff, even if he doesn't like it.

Years ago, the former owner of his precious straw hat taught him something; be a cold-hearted brat, but return the kindness given to you. To him, these words were senseless at the beginning, but with passing time, he started to admit, that these words were wise. _Don't underestimate your opponent_ are also wise-full, but… it came with time.

Everything was the matter of time; as you grow older, some things change.

"Damn you, Shanks. I'm soft because of you."

From the very beginning, Luffy is everything but kid. Being raised by the uncompetitive group of complete fools has its cons and quick growing up is one of these for Luffy. He was brought up by himself, learning that the world isn't good or evil, black or white; it's just cruel. In order to survive, you have to be mature. And no one knows that better than him.

After some time, Luffy admits he doesn't want to go to sleep. So, he carefully cleans the floor, and then, goes to the dish washer to wash some plates. Surprisingly, from the tap falls actually a clear water. That horrible smell is still in the air, so he opens a windows for a while, then heads back to do some stuff.

Luffy does this and much more, completely unaware of the Ace's gaze on his back. Of course, Ace is peeping from the main doors, but this is enough for him.

Enough for him to see, enough for him to hear, enough for him to understand. Luffy isn't as cold-hearted, as he thought he is.

With a small grin Ace goes to sleep, accompanied by the sounds of the falling water and smell of fresh, night air.

* * *

"Ya' brat, whatcha' doin'?! Shoo! Ya' have yar' own food!" Ace cups his recently slapped hand, trying to soothe the pain. He is just trying to grab some meat, oh come on! The bandits are eating like a starving animals; it's gross. Pieces of food, sometimes covered in saliva, are flying through the room, but actually only Luffy manages to eat the best parts, beating the bandits up.

"I want have some too!" he shouts, but it's senseless. They are not listening, except for the little boy. Luffy's head shots up as he continues munching on his big piece of meat. His big, deep black eyes are wide, staring at Ace. He calculates every one of the elder boy's movements, like he is judging him. Then he gulps everything he has in the mouth and stays passive.

"Hunt for yourself," Luffy mumbles and punches one of the bandits' head, which stood in his way. He quickly grabs another piece of tiger meat and starts to wolf it down.

Ace sweat-drops; of course, what he expected? Luffy is acting like a total jerk and has no intention to change that. Suddenly, in the entire room a loud "thud"-sound is heard. Ace turns to face the source of that sound, but what he sees is a lot weirder.

It is Luffy, with his forehead resting on the table. Apparently he was in the middle of eating his big piece of meat, but he… fainted?

"Wha-" Ace starts to be soon cut off by one of the bandits. This one, Magra, caught his confused stare before and made his way to him.

"He has narcolepsy, just like Garp," Magra tells him, closing to his ear. Luffy is snoring really loudly, Ace notices. Thick, colorless liquid is flowing from his mouth – _he actually drools. He. The Mighty Brat._

 _Drools._

Son of the most wanted man in the entire world is surprised; what person can do, when he thinks no one is watching him. The greatest example being the latest night, when little boy cleaned kitchen in the hut. Ace would have never thought he would do something like this.

Life is just full of surprises, he realizes.

* * *

"What the heck is your problem?!" This was enough. A thick mark appears on Ace's forehead, when he dodges all of the wooden logs, which Luffy throws them at him. Tree pieces slide down the hill and fall into the river nearby.

Ace thinks right now that he hates rivers.

Of course, Luffy isn't answering his question, instead deciding to retreat to the forest and continue his way to the Gray Terminal and Goa Kingdom's capital city. He, once again, aims at Ace's head; and, much to his surprise, Ace doesn't dodge this and gets hit. Younger boy watches as Ace rolls down the grass and heads to the cliff, but he doesn't care. With a snort, Luffy runs at his full speed, wanting to be as soon as possible in the trashes' resting place. Nearby living thugs won't get so beaten up without his help.

* * *

Gol D. Roger is one heck of a man. "The most wanted man in the world", "Devil in a person", "The worst criminal", etc., etc. His titles can go on and on, without the end. But Roger also has a title that no one would have guessed. After all, who would have guessed he is a proud father and a husband to his lovely wife, Rouge?

Hn, no one.

Being a revolutionary means you have to be on alert all the time, trusting only your intuition.

Intuition, that's it.

After so much time spent with back-stabbing people, marines, pirates and other sub-cultures everyone develops some kind of inner radar. Revolutionaries can judge person by their expressions, look in their eyes, even by the hair. It's sometimes really useful and can help save your life.

They say that this ability, to see through someone, is passing by the genes, from father to son, from mother to daughter. No one knows if it's true, because no one from the revolutionaries have a child, so this theory is yet to be tested.

Well, not anymore.

While Roger may be a ruthless, cruel man, he is also a father. A father that carries deeply for his son, even if he hasn't seen him yet. Roger, along with Portgas D. Rouge, is a man of pride, and he would never abandon his child. So, worrying about his son's safety, he has given him to Garp.

Monkey D. Garp, Vice-Admiral of Navy, father of the Pirate King and grandfather of the Pirate King's not revealed to world son, was the best option then. They had no one to take care of Ace and Garp fell from the sky, was like a gift from God. Ace is safe with him, they always said to themselves. Ace is safe and sound.

Well, they don't know about a certain son of the King of Pirates, who is making fool out of their son. They know nothing.

"Hey, Iva! Come on, we need a helping hand!" Roger shouts, and soon after this in the doors stands a Ivankov, a great Revolutionary with a useful Devil Fruit abilities, controlling the hormones in human bodies. Sometimes he was creepy, like, really creepy. For example, when he was pumping an estrogen in his organism.

That partly-transforming is extremely scary sometimes.

"Roger, my dear! Vhat ya' vant from me?" he asked, obviously upset. His boss interrupted him with a really hard job; paperwork. It is a nightmare for everyone who had to do that.

"Come closer, Ivankov, we need to prepare for our departure to the East Blue. I assume you know about this, right?"

Violet-haired man sweat-drops and scratches nervously the back of his big afro. Rouge, who sits on the chair behind her husband, snickers and writes something down on a white, letter paper.

"Uhm, actually, no…?"

This answer definitely not satisfies Roger.

* * *

"Damn, this is senseless." Ace kicks small rock on the ground, making a grim expression on his face. It's been nearly a month since Ace began his chase after intriguing, yet annoying boy, and, as suspected, he has no luck.

Little forest monster.

Black-haired boy suddenly jerks his head up and stares into the nothingness, something far away. His senses have gone berserk, his ears, eyes and nose sharpens, as he hears a faint yell somewhere in the distance. Ace immediately rushes, moving quickly from his spot. He certainly doesn't expected someone to be in this area, nor in the forest.

 _Is it possible? A town nearby?_

Ace is forced out of his thoughts by a pain in his foot, when he loses his balance and stumbles into the small, grassy clearing.

 _Well, shit. I hate falling._

He manages to stop himself when his back hits the tree.

 _Ouch_. _That hurts._

Ace waits a while to calm down and possibly to come out with a somewhat logical, normal plan. If the yelling person is aggressive and wants to kill him, then it's the end. But, not hearing anyone or feeling more pain, Ace forces his eyes to open; what he sees is the most confusing sight ever. Ace would never forget it.

A small, blonde boy with a black top hat, googles around his neck, really dirty and torn-up clothes and with a pipe in his hand is paring Luffy's blows. Younger, black-haired boy also has a metal pipe and tries to land a hit on that boy around Ace's age. Ace observes, too stunned to move, too hurt to blink, too surprised to give even a small sound of acknowledgement.

Two boys-, _no,_ Ace stops himself, thinking –two _kids_ are fighting with each other, angry expressions on their faces and sheer determination to win.

That blonde kid shifts his foot and watches Luffy with a wary look. He readies himself to strike and end this one for good, but younger boy's attention passes to a small silhouette in the shadow. Big, black Luffy's eyes widen a bit and then, black-haired child nods to older boy and jumps onto a tree. Soon even blonde can't see him. The last image of his everlasting enemy is an old straw hat with a red ribbon.

The winner by walkover sighs exasperatedly and focuses his gaze on Ace. His also black eyes are hiding some kind of kindness and softness, which leads Ace to trusting this stranger.

Ace is weird from the very beginning of his life. He can judge the person by its eyes, and because of that he was always rejected; from a group of kids, from a group of teenagers, even from a group of adults.

He doesn't belongs to the society of normal people. He is also a monster, having a blood of the criminals running through his veins (it does its job). Ace definitely isn't normal and he knows every bit of this.

"You screwed up our fight," the stranger starts, staring right into his eyes; like he is trying to see through his mind, thoughts, soul and heart, "but I think it's good. I was on the losing side, so thank you very much." Blonde-haired boy bows deeply and smiles a little. Ace can tell that's an act of kindness and manners. "My name's Sabo. Mind to tell me your name?"


End file.
